Everyone loves a good surprise party, the deception, the sneakiness, the laughs at the shocked faces of the surprised. Whether you’re planning a surprise birthday party or a surprise engagement party, the planning process should be fun, not stressful. Here are a few tips and tricks on how to successfully surprise the guest of honor without getting caught in the act! Just remember – Shh! It’s a surprise!
- Plan Ahead – Surprises are difficult to keep under wraps unless you effectively plan ahead. It’s never too early to start the planning process but in general, the latest planning should start is six weeks prior to the party date. Six weeks may be cutting it close but usually its enough time to book a venue, contact all the attendees, delegate decoration to-dos and plan a proper menu.
- Timing is Everything – Since you are planning a surprise party, invites should stress time sensitivity and advise guests to arrive on time. Have the guests arrive at least 30 minutes before you expect the guest of honor to arrive.
- Assign a Co-Conspirator – Successfully executing a surprise always involves “inside” people. When starting the planning process, assign a person to be a co-conspirator aiding in the preparation and day-of execution. Whether you choose to escort the guest of honor or have the co-conspirator, one person needs to be at the location making sure everything is going according to plan and someone needs to be in charge of bringing the guest of honor.
- The Entertainment – When booking the entertainment to the event make sure to not leave any deposits with a credit card or a check that might alert the person you are trying to surprise. SGM Events can coordinate with you to keep this a big secret whether you want to book a mobile disc jockey, an acoustic musician for hire or a full-on cover band. Make sure to contact us today so we can assist you with your private event entertainment and keep this to being a complete surprise.
- The Execution – It’s important to be creative when planning a surprise party, but being too creative can alter the surprise. Choose a favorite location of the guest of honor, a place they like to attend or one that would be on their radar. Choosing a location is key to success. Throwing a surprise party at an unknown location to the guest of honor will confuse them and possibly make the route to the party more difficult. The element of surprise is key, but if you take the guest of honor to far out of their comfort zone in might tip them off!
Just remember the Leo here is to make sure it remains a surprise, which can be trickier than imagined. Above all don’t forget to tell invited gets – “Shh! It’s a surprise!”